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Aug 28, 2016lukasevansherman rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
"In the case of Palestine, we deliberately and rightly decline to accept the principle of self-determination."-Lord Balfour, author of the Balfour Declaration A critical and crucial book about the Palestinian experience in the West Bank. Depending on your politics, you'll call it the occupation. Regardless, the tensions between Israelis and Palestinians has been a seemingly insoluble issue for decades and one which has led to violence over and over again. Americans are conditioned to be pro-Israel without really understanding the history, complexity, or nuances of the situation. Ben Ehrenreich (his mother is Barbara) puts a very human face on the occupation with this incisive, intelligent, and compassionate book. While it presumes some familiarity with the history, Ehrenreich does a good job of putting it in context, but his real focus is on the human cost of the occupation, which is considerable. An eye-opening and necessary book that should be required reading. Some other useful books about Israel/Palestine: "1967" (about the 6-day war), "13 Days in September" (about the Camp David accords), and "Lawrence in Arabia" (about the roots of the creation of the Jewish state).